THE AMERICAN APICULTUEIST. 



77 



indeed some time will elapse ere the 

 benefits and effects of its teachings 

 Avill be fully appreciated. We 

 have advanced most wondeifull}' 

 in every other branch of apicul- 

 ture, while queen-rearing has seem- 

 ingly been neglected, or has (so 

 to speak) lain dormant ; but a new 

 interest has been awakened which 

 shall culminate in the full light of 

 a better knowledge of one of the 

 most interesting and important 



on account of the invaluable ser- 

 vice that they have rendered to 

 apiculture. 



He had been rearing queens but 

 a short time when, Yankee-like, he 

 became dissatisfied with the meth- 

 ods then in vogue and instituted a 

 series of experiments which ex- 

 tended from that time until he 

 completed the system which he has 

 given in the " Handy Book," and 

 which I believe to be original with 



Mr. Henry Alley (proprietor of the hay state apiary). 



branches of this science, viz. : 

 that of the improvement of our 

 races of bees. 



More than twenty-five years 

 ago, i)iior to tlie introduction of 

 the Italian bee, and belbre the 

 American Bee Journal was pub- 

 lisiied, Mr. AUe^^ established the 

 Ba}- State Apiary and commenced 

 queen-rearing in common with 

 Quinby and Langstroth, whose 

 names have become immortalized 



him ; a system which, if put into 

 practice, carelully and thoroughly, 

 will prove of vast importance and 

 a lasting benefit to advanced bee- 

 culture. 



At first he began (over twenty- 

 two years ago) by fastening strips 

 of brood to comb and allowing tlie 

 bees to build cells from it. This 

 he found (as have many others) 

 to be impracticable ; but not dis- 

 couraged, he continued his experi- 



